Five senses
by Red Shoe Kitty
Summary: This is series of stories exploring the development of the relationship between the leader of Torchwood Three and a shy archivist from London. Each is based upon one of the five senses. They run sequentially in terms of timeline. Not cannon
1. Chapter 1

**Five Senses - 1. Sight**

Moodily, Jack stared across the busy hotel restaurant at the young man who had caught his eye virtually from the moment he had walked into the room. He had been cursing his bad luck that his regular six monthly meeting with Yvonne Hartman had coincided with the annual Torchwood One summer party, Hartman had been most insistent that Jack attend, citing it as an opportunity for him to meet some of her staff. Privately Jack felt that **not **knowing any of Hartman's staff was fine by him but Yvonne would not take no for an answer; so now poor Jack was stuck in a hot hotel ballroom with around 800 other people eating sub-standard beef and watery potatoes, an experience only marginally mitigated by the quality of the wine. Magicians and fortune tellers moved between the tables entertaining the diners. It was Jack's idea of the worst kind of hell.

The young man that Jack was obsessively observing was seated on a table about as far away from the top table as it was possible to be, so Jack assumed he occupied some lowly position in the Torchwood One hierarchy. He did not seem to be engaging very much with his colleagues, keeping his eyes lowered to the table top and merely offering a small smile to anyone who tried to talk to him. It was no good, Jack thought, he had to ask; he leant across to Yvonne and touched her on the arm,

'Do you know who that young man is' Jack enquired

Hartman cast a swift glance to where Jack was pointing and shrugged, 'that's the Archives Section,' she said dismissively, 'they are just filing monkeys. I don't really concern myself with them.'

Lisa Hallett, the Directors PA leant across the table giving Jack a spectacular view down the front of her dress, 'that's Ianto Jones' she told Jack, 'you're wasting your time there Captain. He's frigid.'

Jack raised an eyebrow, 'and you would know this...how?' he asked

Lisa laughed coarsely, 'I went out with him for a couple of months as a bet' she said, running her hands down her body in order to draw Jack's attention to her fabulous figure, 'God, he was hard work! When I eventually got him into bed, he couldn't perform. I mean, look at me! He must be frigid'

Jack scowled at the vanity of the ego-centric woman and turned away to feast his eyes once more on the individual he now knew to be Ianto Jones. He was mouth wateringly beautiful reflected Jack, his dark wavy hair making a delicious counterpoint to his pale skin, Welsh skin Jack was now willing to bet given the boy's name. He was tall and slim, his fingers long and supple and, Jack knew from watching him walk across the room towards the bathrooms, he moved with a sinuous grace that boded well for his suppleness in bed. For some minutes Jack fantasised about lying next to that lithe body, feeling those long delicate fingers wrapping themselves around his cock, breeching him, brushing against his prostate, he wondered what Ianto Jones looked like when he came.

_I must have him_ thought Jack to himself; _I haven't seen anything so gorgeous for ages._

Suddenly Jones raised his head, turned and looked straight into Jack's eyes, for a long moment the two men stared at each other until Ianto gave Jack such a sweet smile that for a second Jack forgot how to breathe. He pushed away from the table; his eyes fixed on the young man and walked across the room towards the French windows that opened onto a long balcony running the length of the room. Ianto Jones, still staring at the man who had been watching him so intently at him all evening, did likewise.

* * *

The two men abruptly found themselves face to face on the deserted terrace,

'Who are you?' asked Ianto

'Captain Jack Harkness and I already know that you are Ianto Jones' said Jack smoothly

'I've heard of you' said Ianto, 'much of it is hard to believe.'

Jack looked smug, 'everything you've heard is true.'

Ianto frowned 'you've been looking at me all night' he said challengingly

Jack was mesmerised by Ianto's features, _he's even more beautiful close to_, he thought , then he became aware that Ianto was scowling at him and waiting for a response, 'I have' he said levelly

'Care to explain why?'

Jack laughed, 'are you kidding? You are the most stunning person in that room – how could I not stare at you?'

The blue-grey eyes became stormy, 'I'm sorry?'

Jack swallowed heavily, this wasn't going quite how he had hoped, 'have you looked in a mirror lately,' he asked, 'you are breath-taking'

The young man's face froze, 'oh I get it, I saw you talking to Lisa Hallett, I imagine she told you about our...encounter.' he gave a bitter laugh, 'why wouldn't she, she's told everyone else. So, what? It's your turn to have a go at the frigid weirdo is it?'

'What?' Jack was outraged, 'No, nothing like that! I just...I couldn't take my eyes off you. All I did was ask the Director who you were and Hallett overheard and told me your name, you are the loveliest thing I have seen for years.'

Ianto snorted with disbelief, 'yeah right' he said, 'Instant attraction across a crowded room? Things like that don't happen outside of cheesy romcoms. Send a gorgeous sex god to seduce the shy virgin and then laugh with all your friends because I can't do casual or meaningless sex with empty headed pretty things'

Jack grinned, 'you think I'm gorgeous?'

Ianto rolled his eyes, 'Really? That's what you took from that? Leave me alone, Captain Harkness. I'm not gay, I'm not easy and I'm not attracted to you!'

'Oh yeah?' Jack grabbed him by the lapels of his suit, pulled him close and kissed him hard. For a glorious few minutes Ianto kissed him back, matching passion with passion, tangling their tongues together and swallowing Jack's moans, then just as Jack was beginning to feel lightheaded he was pushed away.

'Wow' breathing heavily Jack stared at the young man in front of him, 'definitely NOT frigid, although possibly a little gay'

Ianto looked stricken, 'don't laugh at me' and he turned and almost ran from the terrace.

* * *

'Fuck' swore Jack and hurried back into the ballroom. He could just see Ianto heading towards the lifts and made to follow him but found his path blocked by one the fortune tellers who were working the room.

'Excuse me, ma'am' said Jack trying to dodge around the woman who grasped his arm in a strong grip

'Captain Harkness' she said insistently, 'someone wishes to read your cards for you.' She moved slightly to one side and Jack was startled to see a familiar young blonde girl sitting calmly at a table, smiling in his direction. She held her tarot cards out to him.

'The major Arcana' she said, 'shuffle them and pick out three cards'

Although Jack's mind was screaming at him to ignore her and continue his pursuit of Ianto Jones, he found himself doing as she requested. Slowly he sat down and shuffled the cards; he lay his three cards, face down in front of her and leant forward as she turned the first card over with her small delicate hand. It showed a tall, slim dark haired man in a well cut suit about to step from a cliff edge. In the background an indistinct figure in a World War II great coat watched.

'The Fool' said the young girl, 'indicative of new journeys or relationships. It is a card of the unknown but one suggesting optimism and happiness'

Jack raised his eyes to her face and she gave a calm nod, 'the next card' she turned it over and blushed slightly, 'oh...The Lovers' The two naked men shown on the card wrapped tightly in each other's arms clearly resembled Jack and Ianto Jones. The little girl clapped her hands with delight, 'love, harmony and internal peace'

Eyes fixed on Jack's she turned the final card, without even looking at it she said. 'The World, the end of all things, the completion of a personal cycle.' The card showed the, by now, familiar figures of Jack and Ianto embracing against the backdrop of a burning planet. The girl's eyes grew large and dark, Jack could not tear his gaze away as she continued, 'he is for you Captain. He will be your lover and your love, your soul mate and your soul. Don't be afraid, you will find him again'

A loud scream of laughter from the room behind him made Jack spin round his hand dropping to his hip where his Webley usually resided. One of the magicians had just turned the flowers of the table centre into a bunch of brightly coloured balloons much to the hysterical amusement of the inebriated diners; relaxing Jack turned back to the table but the girl was gone. He leant back in his chair, a deeply contented smile spreading across his handsome face.

He would see Ianto Jones again


	2. Chapter 2

**Five Senses – 2. Hearing**

Jack bounced from the platform of the invisible lift, with a joyous smile. 'I have coffee and pastries' he declared to the Hub at large, brandishing a brown paper bag and a cardboard holder containing four enormous coffees. Placing them to one side, he pulled Toshiko Sato from her seat and into his arms and danced with her across the floor of the hub. Gwen watched jealously as Jack performed a series of complicated dance steps which, annoyingly Gwen thought, Tosh followed perfectly. The couple ended up breathless, laughing and smiling at each other by Gwen's desk. Gwen scowled as Jack released Tosh, placed a courtly kiss on her hand, ruffled Gwen's hair, grabbed his coffee and danced his way up the stairs to his office singing to himself in a surprisingly pleasant baritone.

'What's got into him?' asked Gwen

Tosh pushed her hair out of her face and straightened her top, 'first Tuesday of the month' she said

'So?' Gwen was none the wiser

Owen's voice floated up from the autopsy bay, 'Jeez Cooper, first Tuesday. It's Ianto Jones day'

Gwen shook her head, 'I don't know what you are talking about'

Tosh sighed, for someone who thought she was the human heart of Torchwood, Gwen could be incredibly dense sometimes. 'You must remember what he was like when he came back from his last meeting with Yvonne Hartman.'

Gwen frowned, 'he was pissed off that she made him go to the summer ball.'

Owen emerged from the medical bay and rolled his eyes as he snagged a _pain au chocolat_ to go with his coffee, 'yeah and he came back with a severe case of mention-itis.' Gwen looked blank, Owen enlightened her 'You know, when you first fall in love with someone and you can't stop yourself mentioning their name all the time'

Tosh giggled, 'like…we need to staff the tourist office, it would be great to get someone Welsh like Ianto Jones'

Owen chipped in, 'Ianto Jones would sort out our archives'

Together they chorused, 'this place is a tip, what we need someone as organised as Ianto Jones'

Owen smirked, 'he couldn't stop talking about the damn man. Bloody hell, it was Ianto Jones this, Ianto Jones that.'

Tosh gave a soft sigh, 'Jack came back really smitten, Gwen - how could you have missed this?'

Gwen was looking very disgruntled, she cast an eye up to Jack's office, the door was shut and the blinds firmly closed, a sure sign that the Captain did not wish to be disturbed.

'Who the hell is this Ianto Jones?' she muttered to herself.

* * *

Jack glanced at the clock, nearly 10 o'clock; Ianto would be calling at any minute. After he had returned from his last meeting with Yvonne Hartman with his head full of the beautiful young man, Jack had done some serious thinking. It was clear from what Lisa Hallett had told him, together with Ianto's own reaction to Jack's obvious attraction to him, that if Jack wanted any kind of relationship with the young man (and the whole notion of a relationship was one that Jack hadn't really explored for decades) he would have to move slowly and carefully, using a degree of subtlety that he was unaccustomed to.

Jack had consulted with Tosh who had come up with the idea of creating an archive database that could be shared between London and Cardiff. If she created the database framework then it would be legitimate to recruit Ianto Jones onto the team to populate the catalogue from the London end and report to Jack monthly. This meant that Jack had the opportunity to speak to the object of his affection, at least on a regular basis, to try and build some kind of relationship with him.

To Jack's surprise it had actually worked, although the first couple of calls had been a little stilted, once Ianto realised that Jack was not about to bring up the kiss they had shared at their first encounter he relaxed and showed himself to be a witty and erudite young man with a wicked sense of humour and the two of them were becoming close friends. However, Jack had another, less honourable reason for looking forward to their monthly conversations, one that was becoming increasingly difficult to hide from Ianto – he found the sound of the man's voice completely arousing. The last time they had spoken, Jack was certain that Ianto was flirting with him in quite a serious way; by the time the call had ended Jack had been left with a hard on that almost tore through the fabric of his pants. This time he was going to be ready

After making sure his door was locked, since he would not have put it past Gwen Cooper to burst in demanding to speak with him even though everyone knew he was not to be disturbed, Jack sauntered over to his sofa and, laying down with a cushion under his head, settled himself comfortably. Releasing his belt and his braces, he unfastened his trousers and slid them down his thighs. He reached into his pants and pulled out his already stiffening penis just as his mobile phone rang at dead on 10 o'clock.

With a salacious grin, Jack answered and keyed the phone to speaker mode, placing it close to his ear so that he could hear perfectly whilst leaving both his hands free to pleasure himself

'Mr Jones, prompt as ever'

A rich chuckle came over the speaker causing Jack to shiver with delight and take a firmer grasp of his cock, 'Captain Harkness, how are you, Sir?'

'I'm...uh...good, thanks. How have you been?'

" Excellent, thank you, Sir. I'm afraid I have quite a list of bugs that need fixing, would it be easier if I just e-mailed them to Ms Sato?'

Jack was gently running his fingertips over the surface of his penis, occasionally skimming the pad of his thumb over the head, he restrained his hiss of pleasure with difficulty to reply, 'Uh, send them to Tosh by all means, but read them out to me so I have a handle on what the problems are.'

'Very good, Sir"

Jack lay back on the sofa, letting Ianto's soft Welsh tones wash over him as the young man read his report; gods that Welsh cadence and those Welsh vowels did things to him that were positively illegal. Jack wondered if he could come just from listening to the man's voice. Closing his eyes, he slowly stroked himself, occasionally tilting his hips and sliding his hand between his thighs to fondle his balls as he listened to the sound of Ianto's voice murmuring in his ear. He could feel his release beginning to curl within his gut and was biting down hard on his own lip to keep his moans from the man on the other end of the phone call when suddenly Ianto said,

'Are you coming, Sir?'

Jack's busy hand stilled and he managed to gasp out, 'Sorry, Yan, what?'

Ianto cleared his throat, ' I knew you weren't listening to me. I said, I expect that you will be meeting with Director Hartman again soon, probably around the time of the Torchwood Christmas Ball. I asked if you were coming to that event.'

Relieved Jack began his gentle stroking again, trying to recapture his orgasm, 'I think I can safely say that it will be a cold day in hell before you see me at another of Director Hartman's social "entertainments" Ianto'

'Oh' the young man's disappointment was palpable, 'I understand. I just…I guess I just hoped that, erm, we could have gone together'

Jack's hand was moving faster now, gods he was so close but over his arousal he could feel that this was an important conversation. 'Ianto Jones' he gasped, 'are you asking me out on a date?'

'Interested?'

The tentative hope in that enticing Welsh voice was all it took. 'Oh God, YES,' rolling onto his side, Jack came harder than he had for a long time, in strong pulsing spurts which spattered against the floor and across the front of his desk. Ianto's relieved laugh caused his cock to twitch violently and send out another jet of ejaculate. Pushing himself into a sitting position and grabbing his phone, Jack tried to control his panting as he said; 'I would love to go out on a date with you Ianto, but not to any kind of Torchwood event. I'm thinking a quiet restaurant, good food, nice wine, just you and me.'

For what seemed to Jack the longest time, all that could be heard over the phone's speaker was Ianto's heavy breathing, then 'I'd like that Jack. I'd like that very much.'

'Great, things look set to be a bit hectic here for the next ten days or so, so shall we say two weeks from today – rift permitting?'

Happiness and contentment deepened and softened Ianto's voice, making his accent stronger and Jack's mouth water, 'I'll look forward to it, Sir'

Jack ended the call, tucked himself back into his underwear and lay back with a contented grin on his face; he had a date with Ianto Jones and had had a glorious wank as well, he doubted his day could get much better. His final thought as he unlocked his office door and headed back into the Hub to check on his team was _Ianto Jones if you only knew what that Welsh accent does to me_


	3. Chapter 3

**Five Senses – 3. Taste**

Ianto looked at the man sitting across the table from him and wanted to pinch himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. He was on a date with Jack Harkness. Ianto really could not believe this was happening to him, never in his wildest dreams (and to be honest his dreams had been pretty wild lately, he was becoming very used to waking up with Jack's name on his lips and his sheets sticky and wet) had he thought that the enigmatic leader of Torchwood Three would be interested in him. _Especially,_ thought Ianto to himself, _after Lisa Hallett had spilled her poison_; but, in spite of all Ianto's reservations, a slightly nervous looking Jack had arrived at his door exactly on time, clasping the tightly furled red rose bud which now nestled in the buttonhole of Ianto's dark grey Armani. The restaurant was sumptuous, softly lit and clearly expensive, low voiced waiters glided between the widely spaced tables tables delivering exquisite food to the patrons. They had dined well on Tournedos Rossini and vegetables with a very nice red wine and were now finishing their meal with Tiramisu and liqueurs

Ianto realised that Jack was looking at him apprehensively, 'you've gone very quiet' said Jack, 'is everything OK?"

Ianto smiled reassuringly, 'Jack, this is amazing. I have never been to such an expensive restaurant, with such gorgeous company, that's all'

Jack reached out and brushed his fingertips over the back of Ianto's hand, it was just the barest contact but it made Ianto shiver; 'I know this,' he waved his hand between them, 'is new to you. I thought somewhere quiet and discreet would be easier on you for your first time out on a date with a man' Ianto was a bit taken aback, this was a level of consideration and thought that the gossip flowing around the legend that was Captain Jack Harkness had never even hinted at. Jack seemed to pick up on this. 'I know what people say about me, Ianto and I won't deny that there is a core of truth in a lot of the stories but…I'm not here because I want another notch on my bedpost, I'm here because I want to be with you.'

Ianto gifted Jack with a glimpse of the sweet smile that had captivated him on their first meeting. 'I know' he said softly, 'I can't tell you how much I have been looking forward to this night.'

Jack grinned, 'me too' he said simply

However, Ianto could still feel uncertainty sitting in his stomach like a cold lead weight, the meal had been brilliant and Jack had proved so easy to talk to but now as the evening was coming to an end Ianto found himself apprehensive about what might come next. He knew that he wanted to kiss Jack again, had barely been able to tear his eyes off those luscious lips over the course of the meal but…what if Jack wanted more? What if he wanted sex? Ianto didn't know how he felt about that.

Suddenly Jack leant forward and swiped his finger over the corner of Ianto's mouth, 'you've got a little Tiramisu there…' he began and then stopped as Ianto, without thought sucked Jack's finger into his mouth to lick it clean.

The taste of Jack's skin exploded on Ianto's tongue, filling his mouth; he swirled his tongue around the tip of Jack's finger revelling the mixture of the rich coffee bitterness of the dessert over the cinnamon, orange and chocolate sweetness that seemed to be leeching from Jack's skin and overwhelming his taste buds. The skin of Jack's finger was soft on Ianto's tongue with just the faintest roughness of callous at the end_. His trigger finger_ thought Ianto randomly_, I wonder how that would feel against the head of my dick_, and a sudden spark of desire ran through his entire body from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet leaving him breathless.

Jack let out a low moan, 'Yan, unless you want me to strip you and take you on this table top right now, you might want to stop doing that.'

Ianto blushed and let Jack remove his finger 'Sorry' he mumbled, 'I don't know what came over me.'

Jack stared at him with lust-filled eyes 'do you want to get out of here?'

Ianto seemed to be having difficulty getting his breathing back under control, 'yes, please' he managed.

Laughing Jack threw a handful of notes onto the table and steered Ianto towards the door.

* * *

The ride back to Ianto's apartment had been quiet. Ianto had been distracted and dazed; Jack had settled into a corner of the cab and was watching the younger man with a quizzical expression on his face. Ianto was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, staring in apparent fascination at the floor of the taxi. Jack smiled to himself, _I wish I knew what he was thinking_, he mused, _who would have imagined there was so much passion under that beautiful suit? However this evening ends, I wouldn't have missed this for the world._

Ianto's thoughts were in complete disarray, _what the hell is the matter with me? _He thought to himself angrily, _he just tastes so divine, one more second and I would happily have let him fuck me on the floor of the restaurant. I've never met anyone who affects me like this I hope I haven't ruined things between us. _Cautiously Ianto reached out his hand, letting out a small sigh of relief when his cold fingers were enveloped in Jack's warm grasp.

* * *

Ianto lead the way into his flat; he toed off his shoes and hung up his coat, watching as Jack did the same.

'Have a seat' invited Ianto, gesturing to the sofa, 'and I'll make us some coffee'

Jack grabbed him by the wrist, absently noting the pounding pulse, 'just a second' he said, 'what was that in the restaurant?'

Ianto blushed, 'I..I don't know' he moved closer to Jack and nuzzled against his neck, 'I've never felt like that before but you taste so good,' and he licked a long stripe along the soft flesh above the collar of Jack's shirt.

Jack moaned and bit gently down on Ianto's earlobe, 'I was gonna take this slow' he murmured raggedly as he tilted his head to allow Ianto better access to his neck.

Ianto was busily mouthing at Jack skin, savouring his amazing flavour,' you might still have to' he mumbled, 'I have no idea what I am doing.'

'Driving me crazy is what you are doing' whispered Jack

Ianto pulled away from Jack's embrace, 'I think we should take this to the bedroom' he said, adding uncertainly, 'Jack, you'll have to be patient with me.'

Jack pulled him back close for another kiss, 'your rules, Yan' he said, 'you are in charge. We don't do anything that you are not comfortable with, OK'

'OK' said Ianto with relief.

* * *

Less than five minutes later Ianto was staring in silent awe at a naked Jack Harkness, who was sprawled next to him in his bed.

'Yan? You alright?'

Ianto shook himself and ran his fingers down Jack's chest and over his nipples making him hiss with pleasure, 'I..it's just…you are so perfect' stammered Ianto, 'you look so good.'

Jack chuckled, 'I taste better' he said guiding Ianto's willing mouth down to suck on his pebbled nipples.

'Mmm' agreed Ianto as he leant closer to Jack's enticing warmth, eager to taste the man's intoxicating flavour once more. His hot hardness brushed against Jack's upper thigh and, scarlet with mortification, Ianto pulled away

Jack chuckled and rolled to follow him, 'Don't be embarrassed' he smiled, gently running his fingertips along the length Ianto's erection, the sensation felt as wonderful as Ianto had fantasised it would, 'I want to feel you against me.'

'Sorry' stumbled Ianto, 'this is all a bit new to me'

Jack kissed him fondly, 'you are doing great' he said reassuringly, taking Ianto's hand he wrapped it around their aligned cocks. Threading their fingers together, Jack slowly began using their linked hands to squeeze and stroke their combined erections.

'Is this OK?' he asked tenderly

'More than OK' stammered Ianto who, at that moment thought he might pass out from the exquisite sensations that Jack was invoking in him.

'Good' Jack began to move their hands faster, occasionally swiping the pad of his thumb over their weeping members, making Ianto squeak with surprise and pleasure. Jack's breathing was fast and harsh against Ianto's face as the two men started into each other's eyes. Suddenly Ianto's eyes widened and he buried his face against Jack's shoulder, his lips brushing across his skin

'Uh, Jack I'm…I'm gonna…'

'It's OK Yan, we'll come together. C'mon baby, come with me now'

With a loud scream Ianto came hot and strong at exactly the same time as Jack, their combined spunk splashing between them and coating their skin. Jack held Ianto for a long time as the young man shivered and shook from the strength of his orgasm. Laughing and sobbing, Ianto clung to his lover as he mouthed and licked at Jack's sweat sheened skin, delighting in the salty addition to Jack's unique essence. Carefully Jack scooped their combined ejaculate onto his fingers and, whispering 'savour how good we are together,' offered them to Ianto who enthusiastically sucked them into his mouth.

It was the most glorious thing he had ever tasted


	4. Chapter 4

**Five Senses – 4. Smell**

For once, it was a beautiful warm day in Cardiff, the kind of day that put everyone in a good mood and made total strangers smile at each other and say 'hello' as they passed. However, despite this sunshine induced camaraderie, no one took much notice of the pale young man in his shirtsleeves sitting at one of cafes bordering Mermaid Quay sipping a coffee and looking thoughtful. It was Ianto's third week in Cardiff, his second working for Torchwood Three and he was trying to sort out his impressions of his new work mates. Ianto was an archivist to his core, so cataloguing people and experiences was what he did to make sense of his world

_Tosh was the easiest to like_ he mused; _she's a real sweetheart. I think we will end up being good friends. She's quiet and shy like me. Just a shame she's so besotted with that arrogant prick of a medic. _Ianto smiled, although Tosh had been the least effusive of the team when introduced to him, her soft 'pleased to meet you' had the advantage of sounding genuine and free of prurient curiosity regarding the man that all of the Torchwood Three team were certain was Jack Harkness' most recent meaningless fuck.

_Not like that ast ffycin_, Gwen Cooper, thought Ianto to himself pulling a wry face, _she was falling over herself to show me how much Jack fancied her. To her I'm just a part time shag for him until he wakes up and takes advantage of what she is offering, stupid woman has no idea. That ffycin fake smile whilst all the time weighing me up as a potential competitor for Jacks affections. I wouldn't trust her an inch. _Ianto wondered if she was even aware that her warm smile was completely at odds with the coldly speculative look in her eyes as she shook his hand.

The look in the eyes of Dr Owen Harper had been judgemental and contemptuous and his handshake had been perfunctory. 'So' he had ground out, 'what do you do besides polish The Captain's knob for him?' and plainly disbelieved Ianto when he had listed his archiving and office management credentials. _Such a pillock_ thought Ianto_, but he was obviously hung-over when I met him so I'm betting that he can be managed easily once he has tasted my coffee._ Ianto frowned; although some of the medic's comments had bordered on the homophobic something in Harper's eyes when he looked at Jack had made Ianto wonder if there was a history between the two men.

* * *

_Let them think want they want about me_ thought Ianto with a sly smile; _I_ _don't care. I know what Jack needs better than they do...and I make sure he is well cared for_. He sighed, Jack...Captain Jack Harkness; the man who had burst into Ianto's life like a force of nature and changed it beyond all recognition. It wasn't just the sex, although the sex was indescribably wonderful and had revealed Ianto to himself as a passionate and ardent lover open to experimentation and exciting new experiences but it was more than that, for pretty much the first time in his life Ianto felt as though he had a friend who understood him completely. He and Jack had become closer and closer since their first date, speaking on the phone with each other two or three times a day and spending as much of their spare time together as they possibly could. Ianto knew that Jack's team, unfairly in his opinion, had been giving their leader a hard time about running off to London at every opportunity. Their selfishness had taken Ianto's breath away, it seemed that they had got so used to Jack taking night-time and weekend rift watch that now it meant that he was not allowed to have any time off at all. So, when Jack had hesitantly asked Ianto if he would consider transferring to Cardiff and maybe getting a place with him, Ianto could hardly believe his luck and agreed immediately. They had been sharing quay side apartment for three weeks now and Ianto had never been happier, except for one thing that was niggling at him like a stone in his shoe. Whilst Jack still tasted as enticing to Ianto as he had on that night they had first shared a bed, another aspect of Jack's physiology was driving Ianto crazy. It had first struck him some weeks back when he was lazily running his lips over Jack's sweat soaked chest as they lay panting and tangled together in post-orgasmic bliss.

'Your aftershave is amazing' he had told Jack

Jack paused from what his was doing - kissing Ianto's hair and temples, 'never wear any'

Ianto pushed up, to stare incredulously at his lover, 'you smell like this naturally?'

Jack chuckled, '51st centaury pheromones, you people have no idea'

Ianto rested his chin on Jack's chest and frowned, 'is this why I'm so attracted to you? I never thought of myself as gay before you came along'

'No' Jack stroked the young man's back reassuringly, 'they make you notice me, but they can't make you do anything you don't want to.' He gave a small chuckle, 'where I grew up, on the Boeshane, there was a myth that when a couple were true soul mates they could read each other's emotions via changes in the pheromone signature; not as specific as true empaths but via subtle difference in smell.'

'hmm' Ianto had licked his way down Jack's body to capture the older man's cock in his mouth, sucking and tasting Jack's unique flavour which never ceased to excite him, taking pride in the soft moans and murmurs of encouragement he was drawing forth from the more experienced man. The conversation had ended but the information Jack had given him stayed in his mind.

* * *

Once Ianto had moved to Cardiff and was spending most of every day and all of every night in Jack's company he remembered their conversation and began to pay close attention to of Jack's pheromones. He woke up every morning surrounded by the exotic aroma of vanilla, ginger and honeysuckle. Sometime there would be a sharp spike of the scent of oranges; those were the days they were late for work, Ianto noted.

His theory was confirmed when he was delivering coffee to Jack's office on the third day of his new job and a sudden sharp smell of oranges flooded the air, Jack was staring transfixed over Ianto's shoulder, turning Ianto saw Gwen Cooper had entered wearing a bright pink top, cut so low it barely covered her nipples. _OK then_ thought Ianto to himself, _oranges definitely mean arousal. _He tried to tell himself his was OK with that discovery but something must has shown on his face because Gwen had been unbearably smug for the whole of the day. Jack must have noticed too, because his personal smell had a faint tone of jasmine to it, something Ianto had learnt to associate with remorse.

* * *

A couple of weeks later and Ianto could not stop sneezing. 'Can you smell anything?' he asked Tosh dabbing at his streaming eyes

Tosh gave an experimental sniff, 'no. Like what'

Ianto sneezed again, 'like a mixture of spices, cardamom, cayenne pepper, garam masala and..' he sniffed once more, '...aniseed'

Tosh pulled a face, 'in that case I'm glad I can't smell it. Sorry Ianto'

At that point, the door of Jack's office flew open and a furious Captain shot out on to the landing, 'IANTO, my office NOW.'

Tosh gave Ianto a sympathetic smile, 'he's been on the phone to UNIT command,' she said, 'it never puts him in a good mood and by the sound of it he's furious'

Sneezing and dabbing at his streaming eyes, Ianto headed up the stairs to placate his boss.

* * *

Staring sightlessly out across the bay, Ianto ran through the catalogue of different aromas that he had learned supplemented Jack's base note pheromones. He thought he had the main ones, orange for arousal, spices for anger, jasmine for happiness and a faint roses and lavender scent when Jack was feel sad or reminiscent. He thought about what Jack had told him about being soul mates; He would love it if that were true. However, recently there was a new smell, one that Ianto did not know how to categorise. It did not seem to be linked to an identifiable situation or behaviour but it seemed to be occurring more and more frequently. It was a sweet buttery, comforting smell a little bit like popcorn but it had an underlying note of lime and sandalwood, it was warm and comforting. Ianto did not know what it meant – and that bothered him a lot because, even as a child, he needed to know everything.

A shadow fell across Ianto's table and the familiar warm ginger, vanilla and honeysuckle smell invaded his senses, without even looking up or turning his head Ianto said,

'Hello Jack'

Jack sat down at the table, 'how did you know it was me?' he asked curiously

Ianto snorted, 'are you kidding, I had your pheromones up my nose the moment you stepped out of the hub

Jack chuckled, 'can't blame them. It is a very cute nose' He leant forward and placed a kiss on the tip, then looked at Ianto curiously, 'did you really smell me coming?'

'Yeah'

The look on Jack's face was a strange mixture of awe, optimism and fear, 'wow'

Ianto sighed, 'what do you want Jack? If its coffee please tell the other's I'll be in soon'

Jack looked hurt, 'No, it's nothing like that. I was...I was just worried about you. You have been sitting out here for almost an hour. Your pale Welsh skin isn't used to this strong sunshine so I bought this for you.' Jack handed Ianto a small bottle. Ianto squinted at it.

'Factor 50 sun block?'

Jack nodded, 'Your neck is starting to burn.' He lightly brushed his fingers over the sore and reddening skin of the nape of Ianto's neck, then took the bottle back from Ianto, 'here, let me' he said tenderly. Gently Jack applied the sun block to Ianto's neck then, moving his chair to sit in front of him and smoothed the cream onto Ianto's forehead, his nose and onto his throat, slipping his fingers inside Ianto's shirt to caress his collar bones. Leaning in close to his lover, Ianto found that the new and confusing smell was almost swamping Jack's usually scent, speaking to him of care and comfort. He looked into the eyes of his lover and what he saw in them stopped the breath in his throat. The depth of concern and affection was overwhelming and in that moment Ianto finally figured it out; he knew, what emotion Jack was transmitting with this new smell and why it had been getting so much stronger over the last few weeks.

It was love.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N - inspired by a review comment by 20000 WPM**

* * *

**Five Senses – 5. Touch**

Jack woke slowly to the realisation he was alone in the bed; rolling over lazily he could see Ianto staring out of the viewing port of the quarters of their small space glider, into the darkness beyond. Sliding from the bed Jack moved up behind his naked lover and wrapped his arms around him, his palm resting almost automatically on the barely perceptible lump just at the crest of the younger man's pelvis. When Jack and Ianto had married, three years to the day after their first date The Doctor had taken them to a medical facility in the 78th century as a wedding gift. By that time it was fashionable to be implanted with what Jack called a longevity chip, which significantly extended the human life span. The surgery had been quite straightforward and within 6 hours Ianto was out of the medical facility and recovering in the room he shared with Jack in the Tardis. Because he was sleeping off the surgery, Ianto never really found out what had happened, and Jack would never speak of it, but somehow Jack had, without The Doctor's knowledge or consent, convinced the Tardis to enhance the chip even further so that was linked to the time vortex that suffused Jack's cells, ensuring that their lives and their individual life forces were forever locked together. The Doctor had been furious, the row monumental, unforgivable things had been said on both sides and Jack and Ianto had not seen the Time Lord from that day forward. In the thousands of intervening years there had been children and joy, deaths and tragedies, sometimes there had been other lovers, occasionally shared, more often not; but at the end of all these things there was still, always, Jack and Ianto. For a very long time, Ianto had been devastated at being, what he perceived as, the cause of Jack losing another person that he had loved dearly but Jack had made it very clear to him that if the price of having Ianto with him until the end of time was losing The Doctor as a friend it was a price he would willingly pay a million times over.

And now the end of time was here. Somewhat sadly Jack gazed at their reflexions in the thick Plexiglas. The centuries had left their mark on them both. Ianto's curls were as abundant as ever but were now grey and distinguished looking, whilst his own hair, still thick and soft was completely white. Both of them had a tiny network of lines around their eyes – precious because they were formed from millennia of laughing together and smiling at each other Ianto always said.

'The last planet started burning about 15 minutes ago' said Ianto quietly

'Won't be long now then' replied Jack.

Ianto leant back against Jack's chest, 'it's a relief in a way,' he said, 'I'm so tired, Jack'

Jack stroked Ianto's chest and kissed him gently on the neck, 'tired of us? He asked, slowly rubbing his semi-erect cock against Ianto's arse.

Ianto laughed, 'of us? Never, Cariad' he pushed back against Jack, ' you never change do you? Not even for the end of the universe'

'Nah' said Jack, gently running his fingers over the soft skin of Ianto's belly, making him shiver at the touch, 'just takes me a bit longer these days.' He smiled, his fingers dancing over the skin he knew as well as he knew his own, sliding down to tease his lovers erection, drinking in his moans of arousal.

For a few seconds the two men stood silently watching as the last planet in the universe burned, then Jack said with a catch in his voice, 'it was good, yeah?'

Ianto turned in his arms and brushed the tears from Jack's face, 'it was the best' he said quietly, 'I never thought, when I saw you staring at me at that god awful Torchwood dinner, that I was looking at the love of my life, or how long and amazing that life would be.'

Jack smiled, 'that first kiss was something incredible – you were so fierce and passionate I knew I would never be free of wanting you ' he said capturing Ianto's mouth with a practised ease. He felt Ianto's mouth curve into a broad smile under his lips

'I have a confession' said Ianto, 'something I have never told you'

Jack chuckled, 'still surprising me, Yan? After how many thousands of years?'

Ianto grinned, 'I stopped counting after the first hundred thousand,' he said kissing Jack softly.

'Yeah' murmured Jack, 'so, what is this dreadful secret that you have kept from me, hmm?'

Ianto blushed and it thrilled Jack to see that he still did, even after all this time, 'you remember when we worked on that archive data base' he began

A broad reminiscent smile crossed Jack's handsome face, 'yeah' he said, 'Those monthly calls, I used to wank to the arousing sound of your gorgeous Welsh tones.'

'Really? Well, the day I asked you out on a date, I was touching myself and pretending it was you. I had never done that before, it was the first time I was honest with myself about how much you attracted me. It gave me the courage to ask if you would be at the Torchwood Christmas Ball'

Jack could not stop his hands roaming over Ianto's body, stroking, caressing, 'but we went to Giovanni's instead,' he recalled, 'I don't know how I got through that meal without throwing you down and fucking you until you screamed.'

Ianto bit Jack's shoulder, just where he knew Jack liked it, 'another secret for you then,' he smiled, 'I would have loved it if you had done that.'

Jack laughed loudly, 'So, we were on the same page right from out first date? Proof, if it was needed, that we were meant to be together,' he said

Ianto pulled back a little from Jack's embrace so that he could stare incredulously into his lover's face, 'you don't think being the last two people at the end of the universe is proof enough?'

'Yeah' Jack sobered as he glanced out of the viewing port again at the planetary conflagration below, 'here we are, the last two people – ever. Kinda sad. Yan, I am so sorry that you have to be here like this.'

'No!' Ianto's denial was vehement; 'please don't say that, Jack. There is nowhere else I would rather be! Besides I don't see it as sad, I see it as perfect, as right.' Jack raised a quizzical eyebrow and Ianto continued, 'I think it has to be us, Jack because that way we can be sure, we can die knowing, with absolute certainty, that the very last thing to go, at the end of all things, was love'

'Oh Yan' Jack dimmed the viewing port with his wrist strap and rested his palm against the other man's cheek, 'I don't want to waste our precious time watching this anymore' he said, making no effort to hide his tears, 'I want to feel you in my arms, just the way I have for millennia. All those years, Ianto, all that time and it's not enough. It will never be enough if I have to lose you at the end of it I love you so much'.

Tears were sparkling in Ianto's eyes now as well. "I love you Jack, I don't regret a single moment of our time together. I can never thank you enough for the love you have given me. Anyway, you aren't losing me; we are heading into the unknown, together like we always do. That's exactly how it should be'

Hands tightly clasped the two men walked back to their bed and lay down.

'What do you want to do?' whispered Ianto

'I just want to hold you' said Jack, his warm breath ghosting against Ianto's ear

'Sounds like a plan' replied Ianto wrapping his husband, his lover and his soul mate in his arms and tracing gentle patterns on the skin of his back. Jack was kissing any part of Ianto's skin he could reach, murmuring soft words of love and affection as if he was trying to implant them there. It wasn't long before they were slowly thrusting into their joined hands, stroking and squeezing, sliding their tongues together in deep kisses, just like the first time they lay together all those millennia ago

They were so lost in the touch of each other; they didn't even notice the darkness take them.


End file.
